# UK Snap Election: 8 June 2017 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 18, 2017, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690 "2017-04-18T10:08:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 28
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/543 "2017-05-24T21:25:55Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Well she’s got a JC shoulder bag, and has had her photo taken with him, so she’s doubtless a supporter. Doesn’t really make her “Labour’s Tina Buckley” though, does it? The briefest of online searches would have shown you that she is described in the press as a Labour activist in the Mail, the Express, the Sun, other press entities, and her own Twitter profile. Is all that good enough for you? Anyway, I’ve had a flyer from a local independent candidate. He lists his Twitter alias as @judge\_rico. Not a good move. (For non-Brits, Judge Rico was a character from 2000AD, the brother of Judge Dredd, and a very nasty piece of work.) ---
**Author:** ![jackstarr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e47c2d/32.png) [@jackstarr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackstarr)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/544 "2017-05-24T21:52:57Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Anyway, I’ve had a flyer from a local independent candidate. He lists his Twitter alias as @judge\_rico. Not a good move. (For non-Brits, Judge Rico was a character from 2000AD, the brother of Judge Dredd, and a very nasty piece of work.) Not quite. Judge Rico Dredd was indeed a nasty piece of work; however, like his brother Joseph, his official name was “Judge Dredd”, rather than “Judge Rico” (his name badge confirms this on-panel, at least in the early issues before other writers got confused). “Judge Rico”, on the other hand, is a completely different character; like Joseph and Rico Dredd, he is also a clone, but he took the name Judge Rico in order to rehabilitate the name, which he did successfully - Judge Rico is now a highly acclaimed judge, and sometime second-in-command to his clone-brother Joseph Dredd. But yeah, either way you look at it, a politician having a twitter handle named after an all-in-one judge, jury and executioner in a fascist police state probably isn’t the best move - unless of course as an independent candidate this genuinely reflects his politics. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/545 "2017-05-24T22:10:37Z")
> [@jackstarr](#): > > “Judge Rico”, on the other hand, is a completely different character; like Joseph and Rico Dredd, he is also a clone, but he took the name Judge Rico in order to rehabilitate the name, which he did successfully - Judge Rico is now a highly acclaimed judge, and sometime second-in-command to his clone-brother Joseph Dredd. Ah, I stopped reading Judge Dredd perhaps 30 years ago. Ignorance fought! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/546 "2017-05-24T23:43:47Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > For example, if we had restarted the campaign we could be asking Theresa May about her inability to produce a [costed manifesto](http://schoolsweek.co.uk/conservatives-back-track-on-60m-for-primary-school-breakfasts/): > > Lifehack: If the central plank of your election campaign is that only you are competent enough to lead Britain through the tough times ahead, don’t make needlessly boneheaded fuck-ups a major part of your manifesto launch. And what could you get for even 25p anyway, half a bowl of cereal? ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/547 "2017-05-25T00:51:07Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > And what could you get for even 25p anyway, half a bowl of cereal? This is to be a _Conservative party_ school breakfast. It will be half a bowl of thin gruel. If students are still hungry they may ask Mr. Bumble for some more. Mr Bumble will then administer a blow to the head with the ladle. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/548 "2017-05-25T07:24:25Z")
> [@jackstarr](#): > > But yeah, either way you look at it, a politician having a twitter handle named after an all-in-one judge, jury and executioner in a fascist police state probably isn’t the best move - unless of course as an independent candidate this genuinely reflects his politics. This assumes that enough of the electorate in question (a) know or care about cartoon heroes (b) are sufficiently interested by anything else the candidate says to consider voting for him (c) know or care about Twitter. My guess would be this would be noted by maybe 1% of the electorate, of whom about a third might vote anyway. I’d be surprised if he gains or loses one vote in a probably meagre haul anyway (independents are almost always on a hiding to nothing, unless they already have a substantial track record in public activity, and even then it doesn’t help them as much as they think it might). ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/549 "2017-05-25T07:29:35Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > I can’t be arsed linking, I’m sure you can all google, but the threat level has just been raised to “critical” ie an attack may be imminent, 1000s of troops are to be deployed to support police in protecting key areas\*, and the election campaigning is still suspended. > > Well, that’s all very convenient. For whom is it “convenient” and why? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/550 "2017-05-25T08:43:44Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > For whom is it “convenient” and why? Heat of the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/551 "2017-05-25T10:13:05Z")
On the one hand, security crises tend to favour conservative politicians as they are perceived as being “tough on crime”. On the other hand, the use of the military as security has served to highlight the fact that May has been responsible for the reduction of the police force by about 20,000 during her tenures as Home Secretary and PM (also, Amber Rudd has not (TTBOMK) ruled out further cuts). Also, the military itself has shrunk by quite a bit in recent years, and may find doing domestic security further taxes its ability to do its day job of, y’know, fighting wars and shit. So swings and roundabouts, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/552 "2017-05-25T10:16:51Z")
The BBC has a round-up of the smaller parties fighting the election [here](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40017537). None of them are relevant to me. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/553 "2017-05-25T11:37:16Z")
It’s week-old news but I’ve just found [this article](http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/general-election/doctor-accuses-snp-of-making-false-election-claims-over-nhs-1-4447467) about the SNP being caught out. > [@](#): > > A SNP politician has been accused of making false claims about the NHS in campaign literature by a leading doctor whose name and photograph have been used in the election material without her permission. > > Alison Brooks is furious that she has been “misrepresented” by Paul Monaghan, the SNP politician defending the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross seat. I happen to have met Dr Brooks socially a couple of times. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/554 "2017-05-25T13:04:03Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > The BBC has a round-up of the smaller parties fighting the election [here](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40017537). None of them are relevant to me. Good to see the smaller parties getting some exposure, even if most of them are either insane or misguided. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/555 "2017-05-25T13:24:13Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Heat of the moment. fair enough, I thought you were going all “moon landing” on us for a moment there! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/556 "2017-05-25T15:34:03Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > This is to be a _Conservative party_ school breakfast. It will be half a bowl of thin gruel. If students are still hungry they may ask Mr. Bumble for some more. Mr Bumble will then administer a blow to the head with the ladle. That assumes his ladle hasn’t been privatized. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/557 "2017-05-25T16:49:22Z")
Only two weeks to go. Thank goodness. I’m looking forward to the end of this fuckwittery. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/558 "2017-05-25T17:03:38Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Only two weeks to go. Thank goodness. I’m looking forward to the end of this fuckwittery. …and, regardless of who wins, the start of some new fuckwittery. Politics! ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/559 "2017-05-25T17:14:12Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Good to see the smaller parties getting some exposure, even if most of them are either insane or misguided. How many years ago was it when the BNP finished second in, IIRC, Durham - and “coincidentally,” the election officials there decided that the traditional candidate statements following the announcement of the result would not take place? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/560 "2017-05-25T17:21:20Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > How many years ago was it when the BNP finished second in, IIRC, Durham - and “coincidentally,” the election officials there decided that the traditional candidate statements following the announcement of the result would not take place? I don’t know. How many? As I said, I’m all for people having as much choice as possible (and information about those choices) but personally I sometimes wish some of the fringe parties were a little less…fringe-y. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/561 "2017-05-25T17:43:18Z")
I’m not sure you can avoid the conclusion the reason army uniforms are on the streets is because the Tories cut police numbers by [20, 000 since 2007](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36857326) - I guess the question is who wants to make capital out of that in the circs. Still dazzled by that poll from Wales - outlier or not, a 16% turn around suggests a change in sentiment: more people trust Corbyn now he gets [more] equal election airtime. It’s still madness to even hope, though it’s energised community activists like nothing before. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690/562 "2017-05-25T17:50:06Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > I’m not sure you can avoid the conclusion the reason army uniforms are on the streets is because the Tories cut police numbers by [20, 000 since 2007](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36857326) - I guess the question is who wants to make capital out of that in the circs. Nitpick: the article says “2009” and the Conservatives (and the big budget cuts) started in 2010. I have my issues with Gordon Brown but underspending wasn’t one of them. > [@](#): > > Still dazzled by that poll from Wales - outlier or not, a 16% turn around suggests a change in sentiment: more people trust Corbyn now he gets [more] equal election airtime. For all my criticism of Corbyn I think he’d do much better amongst the general populace if only the media would stop lying about his positions constantly. The Mail and Telegraph are the worst offenders but even the Guardian has misrepresented his statements more than a few times. Ah well… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690.md?page=27) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-snap-election-8-june-2017/784690.md?page=29)